Canaries flying high
refused to blame Nahki Wells’ dreadful secondhalf penalty for this latest setback but admits the rot must stop soon.
The Ashton Gate manager said: “In the first half, defensively we allowed them in far too easily. All three goals were poor from our point of view. That’s not like us. We must get back to basics.”
Farke’s visitors arrived in a confident mood and flew out of the blocks — courtesy of lethal Pukki.
For his seventh-minute opener, the Finnish hitman escaped the offside flag as he controlled Marco Stiepermann’s pass and coolly tucked past keeper Daniel Bentley.
And Pukki was on target again in the 14th minute when he scored with a deflected effort that flew inside the near post.
But the hosts were back in contention within a couple of minutes when wing-back Jack Hunt popped up at the far post to reduce the arrears.
Yet Norwich restored their two-goal cushion on the stroke of half-time as Buendia finished superbly, rifling in from a tight angle.
Despite a vastly improved display after the break from the West Country outfit, there was to be no sensational fightback.
It could have been different had Chris Martin’s 25-yard curler not struck the post and Wells not floated a 73rd-minute penalty over the bar after Jacob Sorensen fouled Tomas Kalas.
TEEMU PUKKI’S double fired in-form Norwich up the table — and left Bristol City free-falling in the other direction.
Striker Pukki made it four goals for the campaign with two inside a quarter of an hour at
Ashton Gate before
Emiliano Buendia added a killer third.
That was always going to be enough to secure a fourth win in five games for the high-flying Canaries.
And these three points lifted them from seventh to second in the table — temporarily at least — and delighted boss Daniel Farke.
The Norwich chief said: “We always try to start fast and I thought we deserved to be two goals in front at half-time.
“They were three beautiful goals from us — great movement, passes and clinical finishing. That was so important because this is a tricky place to come.”
The picture could scarcely be more different for Bristol City, who after a miserable fortnight have dropped outside the play-off places.
Their brilliant fourgame winning start under new boss Dean Holden is a fast-fading memory. They have taken just two points from the last 15. Holden BRISTOL CITY: Bentley 6; Vyner 6, Kalas 5, Moore 5 (Bakinson 55, 6), Hunt 7, Paterson 6, Brunt 6 Semenyo, O’Dowda 6, Dasilva 6, Martin 6, Wells 5 (Diedhiou 78).
Unused Subs: Nagy, O’Leary, Rowe, Massengo. NORWICH CITY: Krul 6; Aarons 7, Hanley 7, Gibson 7, Sorensen 6, Rupp 7, Skipp 7, Buendia 8, Stiepermann 8 (McLean 72, 6), Placheta 7 (Mumba 90), Pukki 9 (Hugill 83).
Vrancic, Cantwell, Tettey, McGovern. MAN OF THE MATCH: Teemu Pukki. Canaries striker was close to his best with a deadly double blast .
Jarred Gillett 7.